“Where body language conflicts with the words that are being said, the body language will usually be the more 'truthful' in the sense of revealing true feelings.”

“Where body language is giving mixed signals (eg. a smile that borders on a grimace or fails to involve the eyes) then the more negative, less socially desirable component is usually the more telling. This is because we are more often motivated to conceal unpleasant truths and anti-social feelings than pleasant, benign ones.”

“Mirroring the body language of the interviewers may be a way of increasing rapport and making them feel more receptive towards you.”

“In almost any aspect of our social lives, the ability to interpret accurately the signals of body language, and to manage the impression we are giving to others, may be critical to our success, or even our survival.”

“The reason we can assess people so rapidly is that we compare what we see before us with a set of previously established stereotypes - expectations based on what we have been told and what we have gained from past experience. Usually there is some element of truth in these stereotypes but they can also be misleading.”

“We may not be aware of the exact significance of each gesture but the overall impression is usually quite accurate.”

“Women are generally more intuitive about reading the faces of others but they are also easier to read (by both men and women). This is because women tend to be more emotionally expressive.”